Vuko POV I see the change in Silvia's eyes first, then her whole body seems to unwind from a tight coil. She sees me again! She knows me! In that moment I remember when we used to sneak out on the sweltering summer nights to swim in the lake, how the fresh, cold water would shock us into silence, then send us shivering to each other for warmth. Silvia in my arms looking at me exactly as she looks at me now. Or when she had been fighting with her teachers and you could practically see the sparks rising flying from her feet as she stormed off. I would find her and I would coax the fight out of her. I could make her laugh. I would listen. I'm the same and not the same. She's the same too, and not the same. She has her wolf now, of course. And our wolves have never met. And then there are the scenes she just conjured out of the air as she told her story ... But no, I think, she's still mine. Still my Silvia. I move toward her, ready to ta

Vuko POV I guess I should have expected that she would turn on me first. And if I had expected it, would I have been better at dealing with it? But it happens so fast. The one moment she's standing there and my heart is breaking watching hers break. I'm looking at her thinking how Didi had been her little shadow since he was old enough to be able to follow her around. Once, she had forgotten about him and climbed the aerie, her fingers strong and experienced in finding the hand- and foot-holds. About five meters from the ground she heard him cry out below her, his fingers not yet strong enough to hold onto the crevices in the smooth rock face. He slipped and fell to the ground below and Silvia had almost fallen down the side of the cliff herself she descended so quicky. The front side of her body had been scraped raw. I found them first. Silvia holding Didi in her arms, weeping as if she would never be able to stop. I carried him to the nearest packh

Silvia POV We leave the diner with Cook back to his human dimensions. Aluna kisses his sweaty forehead and tells him 'leave it to me.' He grins at her like a hopelessly in love puppy. As we leave I ask her in a whisper, "What did you mean, 'leave it to me'?" She smiles, "He's lonely," she says, "And I happen to know of a troll grotto just outside the Wildlands." "There are trolls outside the Wildlands?" I say. I can hardly believe it. Is that even safe? "I follow the rivers, it's my nature. I explored much more widely than wisely," she looks sad. "Anahita knows." I can tell from her expression that I should leave her alone. I want to ask her more about what happened to her and her family. But I also know what it's like to have a wound too raw to touch. I let her walk ahead of me as I hang back. Fulvio and Vuko are talking like old friends which is not something I could have predicted. I'm grateful for the few m

Vuko POV I watch Seersha and Silvia walk off knowing that however this ends, Silvia is likely to be angry with me. It's a price I am willing to pay for her safety. Silvia believes she will be safe because she has to. The alternative is to believe that her own brother wants her dead and what sane person could believe that? Even with Jedan's direct physical attacks on me, it took a long time for me to accept that he hated me. I send a silent prayer to the Godess that this ends with Silvia angry with me and not Silvia heartbroken over her brother's hatred of her. I pick up speed, racing back to where I agreed with Fulvio that he would wait. We didn't know where Seersha would lead Silvia and the risk was too high that she would scent him if he followed, so we meet back at the Diner. Of course. I'm getting used to this weird glass packhouse with the troll cook. Normal is just what you can get used to. Fulvio is there with Graydon A

Vuko POV Graydon takes out torches and bandannas from his backpack. We each wrap a bandanna around our face. I don't know what he soaked it in--super-strength peppermint maybe--but it helps. Clicking on the torches does not. I can't believe that I passed through here. I must have been nearly delirious with exhaustion and dehydration. I can't believe Silvia passed through here. What must she have been thinking? We are standing in an open space from which tunnels fan out. There are echoey plinks of water meeting the wet concrete floor and slithering noises from the gutters that run along the sides of the walls. The tunnels ooze viscious liquid and seem to pulse as if they are alive. I suppress a shudder. It will not do to have Graydon think the Alpha accompanying him is a giant baby. We move together starting from the tunnel on our left. There will be a mark, he mindlinks, for their pack to know which tunnel. Look